Đavolja Varoš ( sr-cyr, Ђавоља варош, lit. "Devil's Town") is a

rock formation A rock formation is an isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock (geology), rock outcrop. Rock formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock. The term ''rock Geological formation, formation ...

consisting of about 200 earth pyramids or "towers", located in southern

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

on the Radan Mountain, in the municipality of

Kuršumlija Kuršumlija ( sr-Cyrl, Куршумлија, ) is a town and municipality located in the Toplica District of the Southern Serbia (Geographical Region), southern Serbia. It is situated near the rivers Toplica (South Morava), Toplica, Kosanica (ri ...

. There are several similar geological formations in the world, but Đavolja Varoš has the most numerous and the tallest "towers".

Location

Đavolja Varoš is located some southeast of Kuršumlija, on the southwestern slopes of the Radan mountain. Administratively, it is situated on the territory of Đake village.

Geology

The formations were scientifically examined and described in 1955 by Tomislav Rakićević. Đavolja Varoš features 202 exotic formations described as earth pyramids or "towers", as the locals refer to them. They are tall and wide at the base. These formations were created by strong

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust and then sediment transport, tran ...

of the soil that was scene of intense volcanic activity millions of years ago.Đavolja varoš
, National Tourist Organization of Serbia (English) Most of the towers have "caps" or "heads" of

andesite Andesite () is a volcanic rock of intermediate composition. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between silica-poor basalt and silica-rich rhyolite. It is fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic in texture, and is composed predomina ...

, which protect them from further erosion.The Djavolja Varos (Devil's Town) Natural Landmark
UNESCO World Heritage Volatile volcanic history left marks in the multicolored rocks in the tower's hinterlands. However, Đavolja Varoš in its modern form is a relatively new feature. As the inhabitants of the surrounding region were cutting down the forests, they enabled for the precipitation to erode the rocks. Thus the appearance of the towers and their number constantly changes, with some crumbling and disappearing, and the new ones being formed. In contrast to the barren rocks, the area is surrounded by the thick

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

forest. The area beneath the towers is called The Hell

gully A gully is a landform A landform is a land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. They may be natural or may be anthropogenic (caused or influenced by human activity). Landforms together make up a given ter ...

(''Paklena jaruga'') and the surrounding terrain is a location of the mine shafts from the medieval Nemanjić Serbia. King Uroš I invited Saxon miners in the 13th century to develop mining in Serbia. On this locality, they mined iron, copper and aluminium, and to lesser extend gold and silver. There are four mining shafts, of which only one, long, was surveyed. The mining complex is known as the Saxon mines, or in Serbian, as the medieval Saxons were called by the Serbs. A

natural spring A spring is a natural exit point at which groundwater emerges from an aquifer and flows across the ground surface as surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere, as well as a part of the water cycle. Springs have long been important fo ...

is located beneath the formations and has a high

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...

concentration. There are two springs: Đavolja voda (Devil's Water), with extremely acidic water (pH 1.5) and high mineral concentration (15 g/L of water), and Crveno vrelo (Red Well). The unusually pungent spring waters were examined for the first time in 1905 by Aleksandar Zega, founder of the Serbian Chemical Society.

Folklore

Like in the case of some other mountains in Serbia (

Povlen Povlen () is a mountain in western Serbia, located thirty kilometers west of Valjevo. It has several peaks, the three most important being Small Povlen (), Middle Povlen () and Big Povlen (), which is, ironically, the lowest. Geography It bel ...

Rtanj Rtanj ( , ) is a mountain situated in eastern Serbia, approximately 200 km southeast of Belgrade, between the towns of Boljevac on north and Sokobanja on the south. It belongs to the Serbian Carpathians. Its highest peak is Šiljak () (1,56 ...

Homolje Homolje ( sr-Cyrl, Хомоље, ) is a small geographical regions of Serbia, region in east Serbia south of the Danube river. It is centered on the town of Žagubica, with smaller parts belonging to municipalities of Kučevo, Majdanpek and Petr ...

), the Radan Mountain region is known for abundant folk tales, especially concerning the origin of Đavolja Varoš. According to one of the myths, Radan was a miraculous mountain, inhabited by the

fairies A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

, while the people living at the foothills were the most diligent, pious and concordant in the world. Bittered by this harmony, one day the devil sent dark and storm to the mountain, with lightnings striking one after another, and thunders causing landslides. After people took refuge waiting for the storm to pass, the devil himself came down to Earth and enchanted the water well (hence today's acidic spring's name Devil's water), casting a spell that everyone who drinks from it will lose his mind. Both the devil and the storm then disappeared. It appeared as if everything returned to normal after this, but people changed. Under a spell, a brother and sister fell in love, and a wedding party with 200 members gathered. Fairies from the Radan adored the villagers for what they were but were unable to break devil's spell. They asked God for help to prevent the wedding, and on the wedding day, right at noon, a flare, "shinier than Sun" hit the foothills. In a second, the forest was vaporized, and the wedding members were turned into rocks. Since then, per the folk lore, rocks from the site should be left alone, as those who take it with them will be turned into stone, too. Another myth says that a witch lived on the Radan. She was willing to fulfil people's wishes, but was always asking for a favor in return, when the time of need comes. All those who tried to trick her, or to hide from her, were turned into stone by her and buried under towers. On the "shortest night ever, while the falling stars fill the stream and mighty moon shines the sky", emerging, red sun will melt the towers liberating those buried underneath. This will be a sign that the witch returned and that they must fulfil her favors. Myths aren't reserved only for the origin of Đavolja Varoš, but also for the mines and the church. Claims are that in the deepest night, from the three still closed former mining shafts, you can hear Saxon miners digging the ore inside. The church was built by a thankful, gravely ill man who saw an apparition of Saint Petka in the forest. He spent next seven days on that spot, and on the eighth day woke up completely healed. Preserving this seven-day period, Church today produces lucky stones, which are kept in the church for seven days. Church also gives pieces of white clothes. With it, people touch sore spot and make a recovery wish. The cloth is then tied to one of the three trees surrounding the church, and on the seventh day they are untied and buried in the ground, "taking illness with it".

Protection

Since 1959, Đavolja Varoš has been protected by the state and a 1995 decision of the

Serbian Government The government of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Србије, Vlada Srbije), formally the Government of the Republic of Serbia ( sr-cyrl, Влада Републике Србије, Vlada Republike Srbije), commonly abbreviated to Serbian Governme ...

declared it a major natural monument subject to category one protection.About Devil's Town
Official website Đavolja Varoš was a nominee in the New Seven Wonders of Nature campaign.New7Wonders: Đavolja Varoš, Rock Formation
It is visited by 50,000 tourists yearly, but the touristic capacities are still undeveloped. There are two restaurants in the vicinity, "Đavolja Varoš", and a bit further "Dva Ambara". A small log cabin church, dedicated to Saint Petka, is right before the rock complex. It was built on the foundation of the older, 13th century church.

References

External links